Welcome to the Suffolk Barn, we still have a few dates available for 2026 and are taking bookings for 2027!
Set within the ancient parkland of Hawstead Place
Welcome to Suffolk Barn
Suffolk Barn dates back to 1423 and was constructed in its day as a courtyard in front of one of the county’s grandest houses.
We are very fortunate that detailed documentation has preserved the history of the site over the centuries. Original documents reveal a large house had been built on the site in the 13th century and was known as Bokenhams. From then the Drury family (Drury lane, London) took ownership of the estate and built a large moated house in an elevated Park. The remains of this site are still to be seen today.
The Suffolk Barn made up part of the courtyard in front of the 15th Century house and would have seen many high profile visitors over the years including in 1578 a visit by Queen Elizabeth 1 whom (so legend has it) dropped a silver fan into the moat.
Part of the Queen’s entourage included Lord Bacon who had previously been travelling in The Levant (Pallestine). He brought back with him some acorns which the Queen planted on a sheltered spot beneath the house.
From these seeds the great Oriental Plane Trees grew. They stand in all their splendour and stature today living up to their majestic origins.
The Suffolk Barn is a stunning venue for any event, so flexible and each time we have worked in the barn our guests have been over the moon with both the setting and the atmosphere created.
Our History
The Barn
When we purchased the farm the barn was used for storing grain and there were cattle in the courtyard outside. As farmers ourselves we knew we could not continue to store produce in the barn as our machinery couldn’t manoeuvre inside and there were holes in the walls and roof. In fact it was really very rotten all round except for the extraordinary frame.
We held our first event for a friend in the barn in 2007. It was Christmas time and freezing cold outside. “We wrapped the barn in plastic sheeting to keep out the snow and the roof leaked in many places!” We soon realised we needed to spend a great deal of time and effort to improve it before it fell into total disrepair. Overseen by the planning department at St Edmundsbury we updated the barn’s outer skin and strengthened the frame where it had rotted. We resurrected some openings and built a kitchen, loos and replaced the roof, insulating as we went along.
A barn of this age takes continual management and investment. It’s setting is quite unique but so also are some of the historic features in and around the barn.
There is pargetting detailing a tree of life amidst a tempest which has been dated back to 15th Century, a statue of a green man (known as Hercules) erected by Drury for Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 1578 and whom Drury embarrassed as “Hercules had a continual flow from his urinary tract” (He still pees today causing much amusement to visitors.. )
Lockdown caused many frustrations for our booked weddings and indeed ourselves unable to provide the much hoped for events.
We decided to take the opportunity of delayed events to repair a large gable end with replaced sole plates and studwork which had been damaged during World War II when 4 bombs had been dropped on the farm buildings and house by a German bomber on his return from an air raid and ridding himself of his final payload.. we also repaired and lime washed the historic pargetting and plasterwork and added a new layer of insulation and cladding around the whole barn to enable events throughout the seasons.
create your ideal package
At the Suffolk Barn we take pride in giving our couples the freedom to create their own special day using the dry hire concept.
We understand that each event is unique and individual, we are dedicated to ensuring that this is true for all our hosts and guests, regardless of their planned celebration or event.
We are on hand to assist you with our comprehesive list of suppliers and recommendations for help with planning of the event event if required.
For more information about what we can offer please get in touch.
accommodation
Looking for somewhere to stay … The Old Forge Cottage is the perfect 2/3 bedroom accommodation for the wedding party with a built in kitchen and barely a minute away from the Barn.
As well as this, Bury St Edmunds is located only a five minute drive from the Suffolk Barn.
The accommodation is also available for weekly holiday lets, weekend or mid-week breaks.